Back To The Basics. Ryuichi Sakamoto's BTTB gets its first vinyl reissue outside Japan for this special 20th anniversary pressing. Originally released in 1999, the album finds the technopop pioneer (he was 1/3 of Yellow Magic Orchestra) returning to his roots with a set of all original solo piano pieces; a stark contrast to the lush, multilayered approach he took the previous year on Discord. As the story goes, Sakamoto was sitting in Tokyo traffic sometime in the mid-90's when a melody popped in his head. He called home in the standstill, recorded the melody into his answering machine, and the tune eventually evolved to become the album opener, "Opus." The delicate piece recalls the work of Erik Satie, with Sakamoto lending a subtle, impressionistic touch. This energy is carried throughout the album, along with some contrasting frantic playing (especially on the four-handed cover of YMO's "Tong Poo") to make for another masterful work from Sakamoto-san. This 2019 pressing features fully remastered sound and includes all tracks from the original release of the album, including the hit "Energy Flow." Comes housed in gatefold jacket w/ gloss + matte print details.

• 20th anniversary edition
• 1st time vinyl reissue outside of Japan
• remastered sound
• gatefold jacket featuring UV gloss + matte coatings
• printed insert
• music label: Milan Records 2019

reviewed by otakun 03/2019